Sunday, August 31, 2014

It was the year 1860. Abraham Lincoln was elected president on November 6. The little black book came to me through my mother’s saved treasures. It may have been passed on to her from her mother and her mother may have received it from her mother. I’m not sure.

The name “Folkner” is mentioned. The name “Ayres” is mentioned. “Sussex” is mentioned. “New Jersey” is mentioned. My mother, Pauline Folkner Drake was born October 1, 1914 in NJ. Her mother, Mary Abigail Folkner (Drake) was born in 1874 and married in 1896 in Andover, Sussex County, NJ. Her mother, Malinda Ann Ayres was married in 1870 in Greenville, Sussex County, NJ to James Marshall Folkner. b.5-28-1843. This little daily diary must have been written by his brother, Abraham D. Folkner. There is no owner’s name in the diary. It shows that the birthdate of the author is October 3, 1833. According to the bible records that is Abraham's birthdate. To the best of my research throughout the diary the author is unmarried. He was 27 years of age when he wrote his entries on each and every day of the year 1860.

I refer to him as The “Author.” He was a hired hand on a working farm, living in Ohio. At the end of each day he always returned to Mexico. I therefore assume that he lived in the town of Mexico. “The pocket diary is for registering events of past or present occurrence, for the use of merchants, manufacturers, mechanics, housekeepers, and professional men.” It was also used as one of a hired farm hand. My Note:An agricultural base of life is very hard work.

* To shock corn is to cut the corn stalks, place them in armful-sized bundles, and stack the bundles against each other so that they stand up.

* Fodder or animal feed is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock, such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs.

* Chaff is the dry, scaly protective casings of the seeds of cereal grain or similar fine, dry, scaly plant material such as scaly parts of flowers, or finely chopped straw. Chaff is inedible for humans, but livestock can eat it.

* Fallow - Idle crop land. The most common reasons in modern agriculture are to conserve moisture for future use and for weed control. In extremely dry areas, for instance, wheat is grown every other year. Fields lie fallow.

Mr. Sherman - Found no information on internet. Orator - I don’t think it was William Tecumseh Sherman who was born to a prominent family in Lancaster, Ohio, on February, 8, 1820

Mr. Clay - Found no information on internet in time period around 1860. Orator

Wide Awakes - Found much information on internet. The militarism of the Wide Awakes helps explain how the election of Lincoln sparked the Civil War. The structured, militant Wide Awakes appealed to a generation profoundly shaken by the partisan instability of the 1850s and offered young northerners a much-needed political identity.

AbrahamLincoln elected president on November 6, 1860.

Andrew Vought - Indications lead me to believe he was a close friend and they did many things together.

Miss Bare - Sparked, not sure if Elizabeth (Libby) or Mary

Christmas DAY -worked with employer cutting up pork and putting it down.

Miss Larisa Dewitt - of Sussex -They corresponded often. I think she may be my family connection to the Folkners of Sussex, NJ.

My listings are almost all in order of occurrence in diary.

U.S. Fair Ohio - From information on internet: Held in Dayton Ohio in 1860

About Me

I really really like to observe and learn about nature - humans, animals, fish, flowers and more. I do a lot of research on my computer, learning...learning...learning. It makes me feel good to learn about the world around me. A newer project is photography and I'm experimenting with a digital camera. Sure wish I would have started this many years ago. I also like to write memory stories; I write about recent happenings in my daily life, and some of my thoughts. I like to read mysteries, quotes and some poetry. I enjoy solitude an am not very social.